Orbital Blues RPG Review – Space Western Role Playing

If there is one science fiction trope that does not get enough love, it is the space western. Soulmuppet publishing sought to change that, with the release of their RPG, Orbital Blues. Inspired by beloved TV shows like Firefly and Cowboy Bebop, the game aims to create a rules light, narrative focussed system. In my review for the Cowboy Bebop RPG, I felt let down by the obtuse gameplay mechanics, and over reliance on the clock system. In that article I recommended Cowboy Bebop fans to play this game instead, and I will explain why in this Orbital Blues RPG review.

Orbital Blues RPG Review

In Orbital Blues, players take on the roles of Space Outlaws. They will travel the galaxy, collecting bounties, flouting the law, and all sorts of other shenanigans. The setting is the future, where humanity has colonized the stars. Humanities great success has also led to their downfall. The population is too large to manage, corporations use their power to remain above the law, and capitalism has failed to help the average person. This should all sound familiar to Bebop fans.

The first thing everyone notices about orbital blues, is the artwork that comes within the book. The hazy images help promote the 1950s to 1980s technology vibe that the book mentions a lot. For me, the art’s greatest strength is its function, rather than its form. The artwork is pretty enough, but it won’t leave you weeping at its beauty.

Orbital Blues Rules Overview

When I learn a new RPG, I take notes of all the rules that seem the most important. I use these notes to teach the game to my players, either during a session zero or something similar. My rules note for this game, didn’t even span half a page, and when you play as many different games as I do, it makes the brain produce happy chemicals.

The game has a three stat system: muscle, savvy, and grit. Players get to assign a +2, +1, and a +0 to each of these stats. Players also will start the game with one gambit and one trouble. Gambits are like feats, which make your character stronger in some way. Troubles are your character’s problems, past sins, and regrets. For every two troubles you accrue you receive a new gambit. When your character faces their troubles they may receive blues, too many blues can be good or bad. The game determines uncertain outcomes through checks, roll 2D6 and add the relevant modifier. If you roll eight or more, you pass the check, anything less is a failure.

Pretty simple so far, and combat is simple as well. You roll initiative, and take turns in initiative order. There’s no grid map in Orbital Blues, it forgoes specific distances for a range system. You are either close, near, far, or remote from your target. Attacking is simple, roll 3D6 and add up the two highest numbers. If you rolled eight or more you hit, and the third die is the damage roll.

While the book also contains rules for space combat, vehicle combat, weapon profiles and all that other good stuff; you need none of that to know how to play the game. I could teach the core principles of this game to anyone, and they could be having a great game of this within no time at all.

Thanks for the Rules, but We Will Take It From Here

Right out of the gate, I want to say that I like this game a lot. With that said, there is one thing that really bugs me about this book, how bloody depressing it is. Whenever the writers talk about the setting of Orbital Blues, my eyes start to glaze and my imagination wanders. The book takes itself way too seriously, and likes to ramble about how bad things are in the setting. My players and I found the setting the writers want you to play in dreary and demoralizing. The setting was a much happier place whenever I run the game, and if that’s the wrong way to play Orbital Blues, then I don’t want to be right.

With that minor qualm out of the way, all space western fans need to try this game. The setting is a minor almost inconsequential factor, this is a character focused game through and through. Players advance their character by facing the trials and tribulations of their past. What I love about this, is it forces players to be a driver in the game and not a passenger. This brings me to one of the coolest mechanics I have ever come across in a game, which I will be stealing for my long term campaigns: the swansong. Instead of a boring death, players can choose to enact their swansong and go down fighting. The book recommends playing some music, while the player becomes an unstoppable force for that scene, taking no damage and raining death on their foes. But ultimately meeting their end, dying as a hero. We all know what scene this is taken from in Cowboy Bebop, and I’m not crying you’re crying.

See You Space Outlaws

For this Orbital Blues RPG review, I will admit the game isn’t perfect. I would not want to run this for a long term campaign, the game is too shallow for that. Despite that, it is the best way to re-enact your favorite space western media in an RPG setting. It was a delight to Orbital Blues off for a review, and it is one I look forward to coming back to now and then.

You can buy the book on the Soulmuppet Publishing website, or from DriveThru RPG. There are also quick start rules available for free if you want to try out the game, so what have you got to lose? Whatever happens, happens.